Friday, June 8, 2012

“I am in love with love. I believe
the reason we are here on this earth is because of love.”

–Randi Underwood

Hello all! I'm
back with another vendor spotlight interview where we find out more about local
Louisville wedding industry professionals. Once again, I’m delighted to
introduce to you to Randi Underwood, a Louisville-based Destination Wedding
Photographer! She specializes in engagement and wedding photography and I’m
so excited to share some of her work with you! (I’ve actually worked with her before
with a wedding photography giveaway contest a few months back.)

Here's some Q
& A to help us get to know Randi better. Read her answers below each
question:

1. Please tell us about yourself. How did you get into wedding photography?

I have been passionate about
photography since I was a young girl. However, I didn’t decide to pursue it as
a career until after working in the corporate world for a few years after
graduating from College.While growing up, I saw how unhappy my father was with
his career since he never had a desire for what he was doing. I realized after a few years, I was just
wasting my life away working for someone else doing the same thing…and it was
time for a change! I always knew I wanted my own business & this just
seemed like the perfect job for me to pursue. I believe you only live once and
should live life to the fullest.

I actually got into wedding
photography after I had a bad experience with my own wedding photographer. I
chose him for all the wrong reasons…and in the end was not happy with the
outcome of my pictures. At one point, I had explored all the other areas as
well and decided wedding photography was the most
exciting to me. I am in love with love. I believe the reason we are here on
this earth is because of love. I believe everyone deserves and needs to have
beautiful wedding images they can cherish forever. Once your special day flies
by, you are left with nothing but the memories which will fade in time, which
leaves you with only images. I know this sounds crazy, but I also love working
under pressure. I think you are a better photographer if you can handle the
stressful situations that arise at a wedding and still make it out with amazing
images. I am also a very sentimental
person. I love the idea of being able to
freeze the important moments & events in time. And the part of photography that I love most
is you are able to capture moments in ways that others cannot see.

2. Why do
you think it is important for couples to hire a professional photographer for
their wedding?

There is a lot that goes into a
wedding. We have the necessary backup
equipment needed if something were to go wrong. It’s worth it to pay the money
for that and not chance it by asking an amateur photographer whom never shot a
wedding before. Not only that, a
photographer who has experience working with weddings knows how to handle the
tough situations that may arise out of nowhere because they are used to dealing
with chaos on a wedding day. We also have
the right lenses &professional grade equipment to get the job done!

3. What’s your photographic style?

I am continually seeking new
ideas, locations, & poses to satisfy my desire to innovate & make your
wedding photos unique. My style is a
modern and photojournalistic blend. I
love bright colors as well as black and white images. I love to capture the
real, candid moments of your special day while also giving a little direction
on how to stand or sit so you feel like you can be natural in front of me, but
also look your very best.

4. What’s your favorite part of a
wedding to photograph?

This is a
very hard question. I absolutely love to take all the shots of the tiny details
of your wedding day that make it unique and beautiful. But my absolute favorite
ones are the first look. Whether you choose to see each other beforehand or
during the ceremony, watching the love that two people share is absolutely
beautiful. And I think I cry almost every time the groom sees the bride for the
first time.

5. What is your favorite tip for couples for being photographed on their
wedding day?

RELAX!
Laugh. Have fun on your wedding day. Take your time walking down the aisle and
savor that moment. Enjoy each other and pretend no one else is around. This will help you have natural photos of you
and your new spouse enjoying your wedding day. Our brides (and grooms) book us
because they trust us to let them enjoy themselves on their wedding day, as
well as make them look fabulous at the same time!

6. When should couples begin thinking
about photography in their planning process?

Looking for a wedding photographer
should be at the top of your list. We
start to book at least a year in advance and many of us take on a limited
amount of weddings so after you decided on where your ceremony and reception
will be, it is important to look for a photographer next. Yes, there may be plenty of photographers out
there, so someone is bound to be available for your date, but the question
is….'Were they your first choice?'

7. What advice do you have for couples
when choosing a wedding photographer?

One of the biggest mistakes you can
make is choosing a photographer based off their price or by looking at the
portfolio and booking them without even really getting to know them. While I
think it is important to book your photographer based off their style, the most
important question to ask yourself is do you get along with them? Do you two
click? You will be spending your entire
day with your wedding photographer and most of the time they are the ones
running the show so it’s important that your personalities don’t clash. Also, make sure they have experience as a
wedding photographer. Weddings are an
entire different ball game compared to portrait photography.